Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi has hailed the acceptability of the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi but believes this may not translate to victory for the former Anambra governor in next year’s exercise.
Umahi spoke on Friday in Abuja after his visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House. According to him, while Obi’s level of acceptability across the country is heart-warming, especially for the southeast region, it won’t be enough to unseat the ruling.
“So, while my party takes the victory, he would have prepared a very good ground for the south-east presidency, so that nobody is going to write us off. And you can see the level of his acceptability, which does not translate to victory over APC. I’m sure of that,” the governor told the press after the visit.
“But it’s a good movement. And it reassures the south-east people and the entire country that we are accepted, you know; that we will one day become the president of this country. It is very important.”
Umahi believes the “Peter Obi movement” is one built on equity, justice, and fairness. He maintained, however, that “it may not translate to outright win because I must defend my party; I must wish my party well and I have the ticket of my party. But whether what he is doing has meaning there, it is not only in the southeast; it does have meaning”.
He also said the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Bola Tinubu is poised to win next year’s presidential poll, arguing that the party has the “structure” and “spread” to achieve that.